YALE UNIVERSITY
BEINECKE RARE BOOK AND MANUSCRIPT LIBRARY
GENERAL COLLECTION OF RARE BOOKS AND
MANUSCRIPTS
PRE-1600 MANUSCRIPTS
Beinecke MS 250 Italy, s. XV^^2
Polyaenus, Strategemata (in Greek)
f. 1r-2r blank; ff.2v-3v Table of contents for first chapter;
ff. 4r-166r [Greek]//
Each chapter of the text is preceded by a table of contents, in
red; ff. 113v-117r are blank, as in other manuscripts of this text.
Beinecke MS 250 omits a passage in Book 6, chapters 29 through 45,
and the text ends abruptly in the middle of a sentence.
See E. Woefflin and J. Melber, eds., Polyaeni strategematon libri
VIII (Stuttgart, 1970) pp. 3-425; F. Schindler, Die Ueberlieferung
des Strategemata des Polyainos, in Oesterreichische Akademie der
Wissenschaften, Sitzungsberichte Philosophisch-Historische Klasse
284, 1 (Vienna, 1973) esp. pp. 133, 137-139, siglum Y.
Paper (watermarks similar to Briquet Ange 660), ff. i (modern
paper) + 170 + i (modern paper). The present foliation begins on f. 2,
so that there are only 169 numbered leaves. 309 x 215 (220 x 119) mm.
Written in 24 long lines, ruled in hard pount; single vertical
bounding lines full across.
I^^4, II-XIV^^10, XV^^8, XVI^^10. XVII^^8, XVIII^^10. Catchwords
perpendicular to text along binding edge; signatures are letters of
the alphabet on recto in center of lower margin, in red.
Written by a single scribe in a compact calligraphic minuscule.
Tables before each chapter, headpieces, headings, small initials
and some marginal notations are in red.
Binding: Date? Pink paper case with an inked label.
Written in Northern Italy (Venice?) in the late 15th century,
possibly by a member of the circle of Michael Glynzunios (Schindler,
op. cit., p. 139). Signature of John Price (1600-1676?), who became
Professor of Greek at the University of Pisa, on f. 2r: "Joannes
Pricaeus. Venetijs, 1637." Unidentified inscription (s. xviii) on
f. 1r: "Al. S. Manusso Chrisi." Belonged to Sir Thomas Phillips
(his acquisition from an unknown source; no. 10452, on spine, and
stamp on f. i). Purchased from Laurence Witten with funds from the
Jacob Ziskind Charitable Trust in 1957 (MS 52).
Bibliography: Faye and Bond, p. 46, no. 250.
Ziskind Catalogue, p. 52.
Barbara A. Shailor